Smoking was seen as normal up until the 1980s. Everyone smoked, and no one batted an eye. People started to see the danger it is and the massive damage it can cause. The Say No to Drugs campaign started, and the dangers of cigarettes were becoming known. A lot of people want to quit, but nicotine is a highly addictive substance. So, many companies, scientists, and pharmacists started a search for a money-making solution. This is where the idea for e-cigarettes came to be.
They wanted to make a product marketed to aid people when trying to quit conventional cigarettes. Some saw it as a way to stop their loved ones from seeing the dangers of smoking, but many companies thought it would be a way to continue making money while their tobacco sales were on a quick decline. Different individuals and companies made many variations of e-cigarette throughout the 1930-1980’s but all attempts failed.
The first successful e-cigarette was made in 2003 by a Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik. It was a huge success because people thought it was less dangerous than smoking. The intention was to use e-cigarettes until you were ready to quit entirely, but the “fully quit” part never seems to happen. E-cigarettes started to rise in popularity, and they were being sold as a way to smoke, rather than the intended purpose of being an alternative.
Everyone sees ads, commercials, and stories of how dangerous vaping is, but people continue to use them every day. Smoking kills more Americans than Alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs, and fires COMBINED. We all know it can and will cause cancer, but did you know it can cause cancer almost anywhere in the body, not just the lungs? Smoking can lead to heart disease, strokes, tooth loss, rheumatoid arthritis and cataracts, COPD, and so much more. Yes, this list of dangers applies to smoking in all senses, not just vaping, but vaping can lead to any of these.
So many people choose vaping as their nicotine fill of choice because it is seen as “safer” than conventional than conventional cigarettes. It is true that vapes are not as harmful as cigarettes, but not as harmful does not mean it is much better. There have been many new studies and research emerging about vaping, and it is being proven time and time again that vaping causes severe damage. In February 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 2,807 cases of lung injuries and 68 deaths caused by the consistent usage of e-cigarettes or vapes.
We all know vaping causes risk for lung injury, but recent studies show it affects so much more than just your lungs. All the toxic ingredients in vapes have been associated with severe stomach and intestine issues. This includes increasing the likelihood of bacterial infections, sparking gut inflammation, and putting the lining of the gut barrier at risk of copromotion. The gut is crucial for the body’s defense system, and compromising it can be extremely detrimental.
Have you noticed how often people have headaches? Well, guess what? That can be caused by vaping as well, especially in younger vapers. It can increase the chance of erectile dysfunction, weaken the immune system, and cause damage to blood vessels.
Vapes contain thousands of chemicals, and we do not know exactly what they use or how much of it they contain. The thought of willingly putting thousands of unknown chemicals in your body multiple times a day seems ridiculous, right? Well, that is what countless Americans do daily. We may not know what makes up most of the components in vape juice, but we do know they can contain toxins and harmful metals.
Putting all the other toxic components in vapes aside, nicotine alone is very harmful. It can compromise the developing brain, and one study saw correlations between poor mental health and nicotine. Keeping that in mind, the level of nicotine vapes contain is insane. One JUUL pod has the same amount of nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes, and other brands contain even higher levels than that.
It seems as if, with every coming year, it becomes more common to vape, and kids are starting younger and younger. The media has begun to spread better awareness of the dangers vaping and nicotine can bring, but it does not seem to be enough. Nicotine is an extremely addictive substance, which is why most people struggle so much when attempting to quit. So, if you have not started, please do not. If you have started, try experimenting with different ways to help you quit. The damage smoking and vaping causes may be irreversible, so try to stay away at all costs, and remember to be smart and stay safe.
